Consumers’ and Professionals’ Responses to Situations Raising Ethical Questions

In this study we have attempted, in collaboration with an agrifood company, to compare and contrast the responses of consumers and professionals to the same set of situations raising ethical questions, in order to highlight the differences and the similarities of viewpoint between these two groups of stakeholders. In order to do this, we constructed multi-stakeholder scenarios comprising a description of the situation and the various possible approaches to managing the situation. We constructed two scenarios, dealing with the origin of the gelatin used in the company’s products and the company’s product information on livestock feed (GMO, genetically modified organisms). This allowed us to: - study the extent of the professionals’ ethical perceptions and the possible compromises between ethical values and business interests in the decision-making process. - compare and contrast the ethical perceptions of consumers and professionals. In the first part we discuss the exploratory phase which enabled us to construct the scenarios. In the second part we compare the ethical value of the decisions suggested for each scenario according to consumers and professionals and the probability of adopting the various decisions according to professionals. The third part compares consumers’ and professionals’ responses on the matching of each decision to consumer expectations and on the decision which would appear to them to be ideal. If there is a convergence between consumers and professionals in relation to the ethical classification of the various decisions, we can note, however, that consumers’ expectations with regard to ethics are little understood by professionals. This study leads to a better understanding of the significance of considerations of an ethical nature in consumer perceptions and allows them to be compared and contrasted with the ethical judgments of professionals. It gives professionals a better insight into consumer expectations on sensitive issues and highlights certain differences between consumer expectations and managers’ suggestions.Food, ethics, consumer expectations, GMO

Consumers' and Professionals' Responses to Situations Raising Ethical Questions

In this study we have attempted, in collaboration with an agrifood company, to compare and contrast the responses of consumers and professionals to the same set of situations raising ethical questions, in order to highlight the differences and the similarities of viewpoint between these two groups of stakeholders. In order to do this, we constructed multi-stakeholder scenarios comprising a description of the situation and the various possible approaches to managing the situation. We constructed two scenarios, dealing with the origin of the gelatin used in the company's products and the company's product information on livestock feed (GMO). This allowed us to: - study the extent of the professionals' ethical perceptions and the possible compromises between ethical values and business interests in the decision-making process. - compare and contrast the ethical perceptions of consumers and professionals. In the first part we discuss the exploratory phase which enabled us to construct the scenarios. In the second part we compare the ethical value of the decisions suggested for each scenario according to consumers and professionals and the probability of adopting the various decisions according to professionals. The third part compares consumers' and professionals' responses on the matching of each decision to consumer expectations and on the decision which would appear to them to be ideal. If there is a convergence between consumers and professionals in relation to the ethical classification of the various decisions, we can note, however, that consumers' expectations with regard to ethics are little understood by professionals. This study leads to a better understanding of the significance of considerations of an ethical nature in consumer perceptions and allows them to be compared and contrasted with the ethical judgments of professionals. It gives professionals a better insight into consumer expectations on sensitive issues and highlights certain differences between consumer expectations and managers' suggestions.Food, ethics, consumer expectations, GMO, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Consumer Perception of Vegetables Resulting From Conventional Field or Greenhouse Agricultural Methods

This survey studies the way in which French consumers perceive fruits and vegetables, be they local, domestic or imported, resulting from conventional field or greenhouse agricultural methods, in terms of a health and hedonic, then a sustainability, point of view. The method employed, focus groups with individual questionnaires and the use of real-to-life scenarios, allows to get findings concerning the knowledge of the various cultivation methods, attitudes concerning these various methods, the role of information, to expose three representational profiles and, the results of the producer scenario, distributor scenario and consumer scenario study. On a general level, this study brings to light the negative image associated with greenhouse growers but consumer perception varies according to the representational profiles (Traditionalists, Spendthrifts and Responsible). ...French Abstract : Cette étude s'intéresse à la façon dont les consommateurs français perçoivent les fruits et légumes, locaux, nationaux ou importés, issus de l'agriculture conventionnelle ou de production sous serre, du point de vue de la santé, des aspects hédoniques et de la durabilité. Des focus groups complétés par des questionnaires individuels et par une étude de scénarios ont permis de mettre en évidence les niveaux de connaissance et les attitudes concernant les différentes méthodes de production, le rôle de l'information, de présenter trois profils de représentation et les réponses des consommateurs face aux scénarios producteur, distributeur et consommateur. De façon générale, cette étude montre que l'image associée à la production sous serre est négative, mais les perceptions varient selon les profils de représentations (Traditionalistes, Economes, Responsables).SUSTAINABILITY; CONSUMER; FOOD CONSUMPTION; SCENARIOS METHOD; FOCUS GROUPS; AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION METHODS; DURABILITE; CONSOMMATEUR; CONSOMMATION ALIMENTAIRE; METHODE DES SCENARIOS; METHODES DE PRODUCTION AGRICOLES

Le design est-il comestible ?

This article focuses on consumers' perception of design applied to food products. Two products conceived by both designers and artisans have been studied. The results show that design can generate a virtual distance between the product and consumers. Authors then suggest solutions to facilitate appropriation process of this kind of products by consumers. ...French Abstract : Cet article s'intéresse à la perception par les consommateurs du design appliqué aux produits alimentaires. L'étude portant sur deux produits conçus par des designers et des artisans montre que le design peut être source de distance perçue avec le consommateur. Des médias sont alors envisagés pour favoriser l'appropriation du produit.FOOD-CONSUMPTION; PRODUCT DESIGN; MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS; PERCEIVED DISTANCE WITH PRODUCT

Selective loss of TGFbeta Smad-dependent signalling prevents cell cycle arrest and promotes invasion in oesophageal adenocarcinoma cell lines.

In cancer, Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGFbeta) increases proliferation and promotes invasion via selective loss of signalling pathways. Oesophageal adenocarcinoma arises from Barrett's oesophagus, progresses rapidly and is usually fatal. The contribution of perturbed TGFbeta signalling in the promotion of metastasis in this disease has not been elucidated. We therefore investigated the role of TGFbeta in Barrett's associated oesophageal adenocarcinoma using a panel of cell lines (OE33, TE7, SEG, BIC, FLO). 4/5 adenocarcinoma cell lines failed to cell cycle arrest, down-regulate c-Myc or induce p21 in response to TGFbeta, and modulation of a Smad3/4 specific promoter was inhibited. These hyperproliferative adenocarcinoma cell lines displayed a TGFbeta induced increase in the expression of the extracellular matrix degrading proteinases, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), which correlated with an invasive cell phenotype as measured by in vitro migration, invasion and cell scattering assays. Inhibiting ERK and JNK pathways significantly reduced PAI and uPA induction and inhibited the invasive cell phenotype. These results suggest that TGFbeta Smad-dependent signalling is perturbed in Barrett's carcinogenesis, resulting in failure of growth-arrest. However, TGFbeta can promote PAI and uPA expression and invasion through MAPK pathways. These data would support a dual role for TGFbeta in oesophageal adenocarcinoma

Structure and Function of a Mycobacterial NHEJ DNA Repair Polymerase

Non homologous end-joining (NHEJ)-mediated repair of DNA double-strand breaks in prokaryotes requires Ku and a specific multidomain DNA ligase (LigD). We present crystal structures of the primase/polymerisation domain (PolDom) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis LigD, alone and complexed with nucleotides. The PolDom structure combines the general fold of the archaeo-eukaryotic primase (AEP) superfamily with additional loops and domains that together form a deep cleft on the surface, likely used for DNA binding. Enzymatic analysis indicates that the PolDom of LigD, even in the absence of accessory domains and Ku proteins, has the potential to recognise DNA end-joining intermediates. Strikingly, one of the main signals for the specific and efficient binding of PolDom to DNA is the presence of a 5'-phosphate group, located at the single/double-stranded junction at both gapped and 3'-protruding DNA molecules. Although structurally unrelated, Pol lambda and Pol mu, the two eukaryotic DNA polymerases involved in NHEJ, are endowed with a similar capacity to bind a 5'-phosphate group. Other properties that are beneficial for NHEJ, such as the ability to generate template distortions and realignments of the primer, displayed by Pol lambda and Pol mu, are shared by the PolDom of bacterial LigD. In addition, PolDom can perform non-mutagenic translesion synthesis on termini containing modified bases. Significantly, ribonucleotide insertion appears to be a recurrent theme associated with NHEJ, maximised in this case by the deployment of a dedicated primase, although its in vivo relevance is unknown

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease symptoms and demographic factors as a pre-screening tool for Barrett's esophagus.

BACKGROUND: Barrett's esophagus (BE) occurs as consequence of reflux and is a risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma. The current "gold-standard" for diagnosing BE is endoscopy which remains prohibitively expensive and impractical as a population screening tool. We aimed to develop a pre-screening tool to aid decision making for diagnostic referrals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A prospective (training) cohort of 1603 patients attending for endoscopy was used for identification of risk factors to develop a risk prediction model. Factors associated with BE in the univariate analysis were selected to develop prediction models that were validated in an independent, external cohort of 477 non-BE patients referred for endoscopy with symptoms of reflux or dyspepsia. Two prediction models were developed separately for columnar lined epithelium (CLE) of any length and using a stricter definition of intestinal metaplasia (IM) with segments ≥ 2 cm with areas under the ROC curves (AUC) of 0.72 (95%CI: 0.67-0.77) and 0.81 (95%CI: 0.76-0.86), respectively. The two prediction models included demographics (age, sex), symptoms (heartburn, acid reflux, chest pain, abdominal pain) and medication for "stomach" symptoms. These two models were validated in the independent cohort with AUCs of 0.61 (95%CI: 0.54-0.68) and 0.64 (95%CI: 0.52-0.77) for CLE and IM ≥ 2 cm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified and validated two prediction models for CLE and IM ≥ 2 cm. Both models have fair prediction accuracies and can select out around 20% of individuals unlikely to benefit from investigation for Barrett's esophagus. Such prediction models have the potential to generate useful cost-savings for BE screening among the symptomatic population

A systematic approach to therapeutic target selection in oesophago-gastric cancer

Objective The success of personalised therapy depends on identification and inhibition of the oncogene(s) on which that tumour is dependent. We aimed to determine whether a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) array could be used to select the most effective therapeutic strategies in molecularly heterogeneous oesophago-gastric adenocarcinomas. Design Gene expression profiling from oesophago-gastric tumours (n=75) and preinvasive stages (n=57) identified the active signalling pathways, which was confirmed using immunohistochemistry (n=434). RTK arrays on a cell line panel (n=14) determined therapeutic targets for in vitro cytotoxic testing. Feasibility of this personalised approach was tested in tumour samples (n=46). Results MAPK was the most frequently activated pathway (32/75 samples (42.7%)) with progressive enrichment in preinvasive disease stages (p<0.05) and ERK phosphorylation in 148/434 (34.3%) independent samples. Cell lines displayed a range of RTK activation profiles. When no RTKs were activated, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and a Mek inhibitor were not useful (MKN1). In lines with a dominant phosphorylated RTK (OE19, MKN45 and KATOIII), selection of this TKI or Mek in nM concentrations induced cytotoxicity and inhibited Erk and Akt phosphorylation. In cells lines with complex activation profiles (HSC39 and OE33), a combination of TKIs or Mek inhibition (in nM concentrations) was necessary for cytotoxicity and inhibition of Erk and Akt phosphorylation. Human tumours demonstrated diverse activation profiles and 65% of cases had two or more active RTKs. Conclusions The MAPK pathway is commonly activated in oesophago-gastric cancer following activation of a variety of RTKs. Molecular phenotyping can inform a rational choice of targeted therapy

RGTA® or ReGeneraTing Agents mimic heparan sulfate in regenerative medicine: from concept to curing patients

The importance of extracellular matrix (ECM) integrity in maintaining normal tissue function is highlighted by numerous pathologies and situations of acute and chronic injury associated with dysregulation or destruction of ECM components. Heparan sulfate (HS) is a key component of the ECM, where it fulfils important functions associated with tissue homeostasis. Its degradation following tissue injury disrupts this delicate equilibrium and may impair the wound healing process. ReGeneraTing Agents (RGTA®s) are polysaccharides specifically designed to replace degraded HS in injured tissues. The unique properties of RGTA® (resistance to degradation, binding and protection of ECM structural and signaling proteins, like HS) permit the reconstruction of the ECM, restoring both structural and biochemical functions to this essential substrate, and facilitating the processes of tissue repair and regeneration. Here, we review 25 years of research surrounding this HS mimic, supporting the mode of action, pre-clinical studies and therapeutic efficacy of RGTA® in the clinic, and discuss the potential of RGTA® in new branches of regenerative medicine